1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compact camera, and more particularly to an improvement in the camera that reduces the number of parts of the camera and makes the camera more compact and low cost, without damaging the performance of the camera.
2. Background Arts
Reducing both the manufacturing cost and the size of the compact camera has been continually searched for. For this purpose, devices for uniting components of the camera to reduce the number of parts and the number of manufacturing processes have conventionally been developed. When uniting any components, functions of these components and the requisite accuracy are taken into consideration. For example, concerning light emitting and receiving sections of an autofocus device, or a viewfinder optical system, as they require accuracy in positioning, elements of these components are mounted in an integral frame to constitute an united finder assembly. Then, the finder assembly is attached to the top of an internal body frame of the camera.
On the other hand, a gear mechanism for rotating a spool of a film cartridge and a gear holding plate for holding gears of this mechanism rotatably from the top are usually disposed in the vicinity of the finder assembly. Accordingly, it is preferable to form the gear holding plate integrally with the frame of the finder assembly, for the sake of reducing the number of parts and the assembling processes. However, the gear holding plate tends to be deformed by the driving force transmitted from the gear mechanism. Where the gear holding plate is integrated with the frame of the finder assembly, the deformation of the gear holding plate results deviating the light emitting or receiving section of the autofocus device or the finder optical system.
In order to prevent such deviations, a camera disclosed in JPA 10-312014 suggests securing an integral frame member to an internal body frame of the camera body, at a border portion of a gear holding plate portion to a finder frame portion, by means of a screw. Thereby the deformation of the gear holding plate portion is not transmitted to the finder frame portion, which prevents deviation of the elements mounted in the finder frame portion, including the light emitting and receiving sections and the finder optical system.
However, since the gear holding plate portion of this prior art is warped by the screwing, and the warp in the gear holding plate portion is transmitted to the finder frame portion, the elements mounted in the finder frame portion can deviate from their proper positions. Moreover, because vibrations of the gear holding plate portion, which are generated from the movement of the gear mechanism, are transmitted to the finder frame portion, the accuracy of the autofocus device will be lowered if the range finding operation is carried out while the gear mechanism is being activated to wind up the photo filmstrip.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a compact camera, wherein a finder frame and a gear holding plate are formed as an integral part to reduce the number of parts of the camera and thus make the camera more compact and low cost, but the influence of deformations, warps and vibrations in the gear holding plate onto the finder frame is sufficiently eliminated.
To achieve the above and other objects, a camera of the present invention comprises a finder frame holding a finder optical system and at least light emitting and receiving sections of an autofocus device; a gear holding plate formed integrally with the finder frame, the gear holding plate holding gears of a film transport gear mechanism rotatably; and a slit formed between the finder frame and the gear holding plate.
The film transport gear mechanism is disposed on an upper portion of an internal body frame of the camera, with top ends of the gears held by the gear holding plate. It is preferable to secure the finder frame and the gear holding plate to the internal body frame of the camera by screws on opposite sides of the slit.